Hanging From the Rafters

Curtis designed a pulley system to store the canoe from the rafters of the garage.

The canoe only weighs 61 lbs, so it should hold.

If it falls, it will land on top of my new car.

That would be bad!

Laurie needed a new car and mine fit the price and miles she wanted.
I didn't mind sacrificing and getting a new car to help her!
I love my new 2012 Hyundai Elantra with leather interior and heated seats.

Red Tailed Hawk on Paddle #2

This red tailed hawk took more time and technique, but it turned 

out very nice.  It just needs resin and fiberglass to seal it.

Curtis got a wood burning kit for his birthday.  He made lots of wood burning pictures 

in high school.  We searched for the old wood burning tool, but it seems to be lost.  

He was excited to get a new one anyway because this one has 3 tips and a dial 

that allows you to control the temperature.  

 He practiced with the new tips on some scrap wood and then made a woodsy 

picture on one of the paddles.  He has to put a finish of resin and fiberglass 

on it to seal it.  It looks really nice!

 

Wicked Witches, A Spelling Bee and Jon Schmidt

Curtis is working in Burbank, CA, so I went to California with him 2 weeks ago to see the play "Wicked".  It was spectacular and I loved it!  If you get a chance to see it, I would highly recommend it.  The music is so good and the story is quite entertaining.  It's a prequel to The Wizard of Oz and makes you look at that story in a whole new way.

While I was away, Rochelle & Bryan took Adam to see the pianist, Jon Schmidt, perform at the high school.  They said it was very good and Rochelle hadn't realized what a goof he is!  That's very true, but a talented goof!

The following night Adam was in the school spelling bee.  Isn't it just amazing how the one night I'm out of town something important happens.  Well, I sent Rochelle to watch that too and she said there were 65 kids competing and Adam came in 2nd!  He had some crazy words to spell that I wasn't sure how to spell like simulcast, slantindicular,  and colossal which is the one that took him down!  He had fun, but he will only go on to the regional competition if the winner can't make it.  He has always been a star speller!

Hearts on the Quilt

I finished one row of hearts on the quilt and more of the outline.  I am getting faster and 

it's pretty fun.  My back hurts if I do it too long though, so I might need a different chair.  

If I remember right, Grandma Louise, Curtis' grandma had a rolling chair and the 

height was adjustable.  I inherited lots of thread from her that I'll use on future projects.  

She is the one that made our wedding quilt with the Seattle Temple on it.  

I can't imagine how long that took and that I would ever be that good!

The Canoe is Finally Finished

The canoe is finally finished!  Inside and out.

We'll need some paddles.

We started with some flat pieces

of wood glued together.

Shaping the handle.

One down and one more to go.

Finish Coat

 The inside has been varnished and the seats 

are installed permanently.  We lifted it off the cradle to 

turn it over and it was light enough for the two of us to lift.

Curtis is putting a coat of varnish 

on the bottom.

Once it dries it will need one more coat of 

varnish and then it's done!